The Butterflies of Grand Canyon-Margaret Erhart

The Butterflies of Grand Canyon

Margaret Erhart

Plume, Dec 29 2009, $15.00

ISBN: 9780452295490

In 1951 Jane Merkle rides the train with her older husband Morris from St. Louis to spend the summer with her in-laws the Hedquists in Flagstaff, Arizona.  On board she meets two female botanists; Elzada is going to Arizona to investigate a thirteen year old cold case murder.  When they arrive they are warmly greeted by Morris’ sister Dotty and his brother-in-law Oliver.  Dotty encourages Jane to be herself and not follow her mantra of “When in Rome, remember you’re from St. Louis”.

She heeds their advice after her luggage is lost to trade dresses for jeans as comfort is more important near the Grand Canyon.   Jane buys a butterfly net and is attracted to National parks Ranger Euell Wigglesworth.  Unable to stay out of the inquiry and the vastness of nature since she comes out of her cocoon, Jane assists on the investigation while chasing after butterflies of love.

The Butterflies of the Grand Canyon is an enjoyable historical tale that compares humanity and nature with the former filled with inane frailties and the latter majestic stark beauty, but does so with a soft touch.  Jane is the star who holds the engaging story line together while the support cast enhances understanding of her metamorphosis and of the region.  Well written in a low key way, fans will enjoy Margaret Erhart’s entertaining look at being human in the early 1950s on the rim of the Grand Canyon.

Harriet Klausner

Listen-Rene Gutteridge

Listen

Rene Gutteridge

Tyndale, Feb 1 2010, $12.99

ISBN: 9781414324333

 

The town of Marlo seems like an ideal community to live in as it is quiet, serene and small enough that no resident is a stranger.  People go put of their way to help each other as good neighbors should.  That changes when a new website listrentoyourself.net recording conversations that people had when they assumed they were safely private.

 

Two men know this kind of site will turn neighbors against each other and tear apart the fiber of families and community.  Opinion columnist and crossword constructor Damian Underwood knows what words can do and fears the posting of private conversations will lead to violence; he proves correct.  Police Detective Frank Merret sees the crimes that happen because of the private conversations on the website and does his best to figure out what is happening.  Damian’s family is a casualty while Frank thinks his ex wife is a target.

 

With a nod to politicians who speak foolishly on what they thought were closed microphones, words spoken in private but revealed in public changes the relationships and thereby the complexion of a small town long after the perpetrator is caught.  The characters are realistically drawn with the audience caring what happens to the reporter, the cop and their families.  Stunning in its simplicity yet resulting in nasty consequences, Rene Gutteridge provides a cautionary tale of beware of Big Brother (or sister) as he or she need not be from the Feds as your neighbor can listen from anywhere with today’s technology.

 

Harriet Klausner

The Queen’s Dollmaker-Christine Trent

The Queen’s Dollmaker

Christine Trent

Kensington, Jan 1 2010, $15.00

ISBN: 9780758238573

 

In 1781 Paris the fire destroyed her family home and shop.  Her parents died soon afterward.  Teenager Claudette Laurent leaves Paris with other fleeing females hoping to find work in England.  After a horrific employment with a shrew, Charlotte uses her dollmaking talent to open up a small shop in London

 

Over the next few years her dolls become prize possessions of the elite and knowledge of her talent crosses the Channel to Versailles where young Queen Marie Antoinette asks her to come home.  In France, Claudette reunites with her childhood boyfriend Jean-Philippe.  As the Revolution explodes, Claudette’s connection as the Queen’s Dollmaker places her in prison awaiting a date with Madame Guillotine if she fails to give testimony against Her Highness.

 

This is a terrific late eighteenth century saga that uses real persona to bring to life mostly Paris during the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror.  The two keys that refresh this delightful story line are the insightful look at dollmaking and collecting in the 1780s and a rather different view of the Queen who becomes a convenient scapegoat for the excessive of the Revolution.  Historical readers will appreciate this deep look at life in France during a period of turmoil.

 

Harriet Klausner

Too Much Happiness-Alice Munroe

Too Much Happiness

Alice Munroe

Knopf, Nov 2009, $25.95

ISBN: 9780307269768

 

This great ten story anthology looks deep into relationships with strong characterizations.  Nine of the contributions are under forty pages; only the title entry is longer at sixty pages.  As always Alice Munroe provides her audience with a profound collection.

 

In “Dimensions” Doree grieves on the bus for her three children who were murdered by their father so they would not suffer the same misery he suffered of their mother leaving them.  “Fiction” stars Christie who tells the stories of her stepmother the music teacher in a published anthology.  “Wenlock Edge” college student explains how her roommate fools her into going on a dinner date with her lover.  Sally learns how “Deep-Holes” in marriage can become.  In “Free Radicals”, Nita’s friends are there at first while she grieves, but she rejects them; now she is moving on and needs them but none are there for her as they were hurt by her when they needed her.  His father stared at his “Face” once after he was born and never looked at his son’s disfigured face again.  Young Mr. Crozier is surrounded by “Some Women” while dying from leukemia; but keeps a stiff upper lip so as not to alarm the female retinue who hide their melancholy from him while caring for him.  In “Child’s Play” Marlene and Charlene become summer camp BFFs, but torture Verna until Marlene muses over “How can you blame a person for the way she was born?”  “Wood” centers on Roy who refinishes furniture, but works alone since he and his wife Lea never had no children. He is hurt and all alone apparently dying in The Deserted Forest.  “Too Much Happiness” centers on Russian mathematician Sophia Kovalevski who has found men limit her choices; still she writes stories in spite of her father insisting she is selling herself and obtains a teaching position in Sweden in spite of her lover living in Paris as she reuses to allow males to limit her.

 

Harriet Klausner

Secrets of the Tudor Court: Between Two Queens-Kate Emerson

Secrets of the Tudor Court: Between Two Queens

Kate Emerson

Pocket, Jan 5 2009, $16.00

ISBN: 9781416583271

 

In 1637 sixteen year old Anne “Nan” Bassett crosses the Narrow Sea from Calais, France to Dover, England along with her older sister Catherine.  Nan wants to join the court as a maid of honor to Queen Jane Seymour.  Surprisingly King Henry selects her to become a member of his wife’s entourage.

 

When Jane dies in childbirth, Nan leaves the court to move in with her cousin, the Countess of Sussex.  Henry not forgetting the élan of Nan orders her back to the court when he marries again and again.  With intrigue everywhere inside Henry’s court, Nan falls in love, but to survive she must give away her child as her family is no haven since they are caught up in Cromwell seditious activities.

 

The latest secret at King Henry’s court (see Secrets of the Tudor Court: The Pleasure Palace) is an engaging historical starting a maid of honor who keeps her head by keeping her head in crisis.  Based on a real maid of honor, Nan is a terrific heroine, but in many ways the aging monarch steals the show as the King seems to obsessively need to prove his manhood as he goes through a few more wives following the death of Jane.  Fans will relish Kate Emerson’s strong historical tale of life and death at King Henry’s court.

 

Harriet Klausner

Snapped-Pamela Klaffke

Snapped

Pamela Klaffke

Mira, Han 1 2010, $13.95

ISBN: 9780778327462

 

Fifteen years ago Sara B and Ted founded Snap with no money to truly launch the magazine.  However, with its Dos and Don’ts, the magazine has become one of Canada’s most popular weekly.  In fact if imitation is the ultimate flattery, than Snap is the top gun.

 

However, as Sara B closes in on her fortieth birthday, she has lost some of her edge; even she knows she is on cruise control professional and personally.  Her affair with younger Jack is okay but not any euphoric incredible.  Even her renowned page Dos and Don’ts has lost its luster at least in her mind.  Sara B especially feels her age since she hired energetic youthful Eva, who represents what Sara B was before she realized the new forty is still forty.

 

This is a superb sarcastic saga of a woman not coming to grips with middle age hammering at her when she compares herself today with Eva and with herself at Eva’s age.  Time has moved on and she fears passed her by when she was not looking beyond the next Don’ts.  Fans who relish a dark jocular acerbic tale will appreciate this strong tale as Sara B realizes she has gone from a Do to a Don’t.

 

Harriet Klausner

Hero’s Tribute-Graham Garrison

Hero’s Tribute

Graham Garrison

Kregel, Oct 2009m $13.99

ISBN: 9780825426858

 

Michael Gavin is a hero in his hometown of Talking Creek, Georgia.  He was quarterback of the high school football team and played at the University of Georgia.  He was given the Medal of Honor for his distinguished service in Iraq.  Parents in Talking Creek always use Michael as the epitome of a person being all they can be; in other words a hero.

 

However everyone is shocked when Michael learns he has cancer; the townsfolk are there for him and his family whole sadly wondering why bad things happen to good people.  As he nears death, Michael asks sports reporter Wes Watkins to deliver the eulogy at his funeral.  Wes is stunned as he and Michael are strangers, but agrees.  He begins digging into the life of the local hero with an ulterior motive of using the story as a ticket out of town to the bigger gigs.  However, Wes begins to uncover some shocking secrets in the life of the paragon revered by his town.  He ponders who Michael truly was and if he tells the entire truth with what he learned what that says of him as he would push the statue of Mr. perfect off the pedestal.

 

Michael dies in the very beginning of the book, but readers see who he is through the filtered lens of different people especially his family, the townsfolk and the reporter as each provides their perspective.  Character driven, fans will appreciate this terrific insightful look at a Hero’s Tribute as to be human means to have flaws, but it takes Amazing Grace to move past them to greatness.  With a final twist at the eulogy that will leave readers stunned and wanting to join in on the four song tribute, Graham Garrison provides a strong Christian tale.

 

Harriet Klausner

 

Flowers for Elvis-Julia Schuster

Flowers for Elvis

Julia Schuster

Bell Bridge, Apr 2009, $14.95

www.bellbridgebooks.com

ISBN: 9780982175613

 

Single woman Willard gives birth to twins; one is white while the other is black.  She knows that in the Eisenhower era in Mississippi she, the kids and her lover would be lynched.  However, the black child Olivia dies, but instead of the newborn’s soul going to heaven she remains at the portal to watch over her sister whose life will be difficult.  Willard’s sister Genevieve is also pregnant and the Mother Superior orders her to keep her niece (though she doesn’t know it is her sister’s child) saying she had twins.

 

Over the years Olivia’s spirit watches over her twins whom she loves equally.  They do not have an easy life because Genevieve is a bit touched, ignoring her children as they grow up; providing a terrible home-life due to drinking, stealing and turning tricks.  As a young teen Louisa gets pregnant and her lover refuses to leave his wife. Louisa stays with him as his mistress; she has several miscarriages.  Her twin Anna Beth tries to be supportive and though their lives are stretched neither breaks.  However, their attitude towards their mom is different as they have given up trying to reach the horrid woman.  Their spirit sister Olivia tries to console them as she knows God has a plan for each of them.

 

The poignant story line focuses on a dysfunctional suburban civil Rights Era dysfunctional Mississippi family.  The narrator Olivia tells the tale of her sisters and like readers learns late in the plot what her purpose is and why God cannot take her to him at this time.  Genevieve suffers from mental illness but little is understood about her illness. She is self destructs believing her patron saint is Elvis and she almost destroys the twins she neglects.  Flowers for Elvis is a touching tale made stronger by a unexpected spin.

 

Harriet Klausner

Lute Player-Norah Lofts

Lute Player

Norah Lofts

Touchstone, Dec 8 2009, $16.00

ISBN: 9781439146071

 

Blondel the lute player loves Berengaria the wife of his sire, King Richard the Lionhearted although he does not act on his regard for several reasons and not just because he would be executed.  He knows the woman he cherishes above all else loves her husband and beside he is the king’s companion and would never be disloyal.  Berengaria’s hunchbacked sister Anna Apieta is attracted to Blondel while Richard loves Crusading and men.

 

When Richard heads off for Jerusalem, Blondel accompanies him mostly because of his love for Berengaria.  After they failed, he returns home with his monarch until the king is captured in France.  He continues home not sure how to break the news to the woman he loves.

 

The Lute Player is a terrific medieval fiction in which the audience obtains a less romantic but totally human view of King Richard the Lionhearted and the Crusades through the eyes of four people impacted by the monarch and the war.  Besides the title player, the audience learns how the queen and her sister feel as well as the ruler’s mother Eleanor of Aquitaine.  With a strong antiwar message as the horrors come home to roost to those on the home front, Norah Lofts provides a super historical showcasing the effect of the Third Crusade on Richard’s mother and wife.

 

Harriet Klausner

The Skeptical Romancer W. Somerset Maugham and Pico Iyer (editor)

The Skeptical Romancer

W. Somerset Maugham and Pico Iyer (editor)

Everyman’s Library (Random House), Nov 2009, $24.00

ISBN: 9780307272126

 

W. Somerset Maugham is renowned for his highly regarded novels like of Human Bondage.  However, less known is that the late author was a world traveler who wrote articles and letters about the locations he saw as a boy in Spain, a spy in Russia, traveling in Asia during the Great Depression and much more including the United States.  Although a few of these short observations are known by readers especially those from The Land of the Blessed Virgin released in 1905 (included as a section As A Very Young Traveler) most probably are not remembered.  The other chapters are Sketches of China (from On a Chinese Screen, 1922), Across Southeast Asia (from The Gentleman in the Parlour, 1930) and A Life in Retrospect (from The Partial View, 1954).  With over sixty entries and a chronology of the author’s life matched up again major world events, fans of Mr. Maugham or those who appreciate a different type of travelogue that looks at the human condition will want to read this fine collection.  Fans will understand better the underlying motives to the late writer’s masterpiece plays and novels as he matured from that boy in Spain to an adult horrified with what man can do to man yet somehow remained optimistic even into his sixties and beyond when the obituary column was constantly loaded with his peer group.

 

Harriet Klausner